Wool bank likely to be set up in Shillong

SHILLONG, Apr 12  – The first ‘wool bank’ in the North East is likely to be set up here in the capital city of Meghalaya with the Central Wool Development Board (CWDB) and Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) working towards it in coordination with the State Government, officials said today.

“Meghalaya has a great potential in this regard like other Northeastern States and we deserve to have wool industry or bank in different States of the region,” Deputy Chief Minister BM Lanong said while speaking at a round table discussion on creation of wool bank in NE States.

Lanong who is also holding the Veterinary portfolio, observed that the State has vast stretches of prairies, which were “tree-less lands”.

He said the Veterinary department has plans to begin rearing of cattle including sheep in a “big way” in Meghalaya urging other States also to make use of the funds available with the CWDB.

States like Meghalaya, Nagaland (mainly Kohima), Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim has longer winter and this would be beneficial from the perspective of employment generation and improving livelihood, he said.

Observing that most of the cattle reared in the State were used for meat consumption, Lanong said it was time for diversification of animal farming into woollen and garment industry, even as he noted that sheep rearing was rare in the State.

According to the Deputy Chief Minister, Meghalaya has “natural infrastructure”, and would “go ahead” with setting up of “woollen industry” in order to open new vistas for employment and economic growth even as he observed that the State was still at the “receiving end” vis-à-vis wool.

Advisor to the ICC, Nakib Ahmed noted that winters were longer in the hilly North East and therefore the wool industry would have a thriving climate in the region and benefit the economically weaker sections of the society.

“The wool industry in India is a thriving Rs 5,000 crore business employing thousands of people,” Ahmed said adding that the industry was the seventh largest in the world.

The Central Wool Development Board, constituted in 1987 has been assigned functions for growth and development of wool and woollens, marketing intelligence, marketing of wool and woollens, price stabilisation, testing of wool and woollens, product development and advice to government.

Government representatives from several Northeastern States besides NGOs took part in the discussion.

“Setting up of the wool bank is ideal as the demand of woollen products is vast due to the fact that Northeastern part of India is comprised mainly of hilly States and where the duration of winter is longer than other parts of the country,” Lanong said.

The Central Wool Development Board today was urged to constitute a Wool Bank in the North East taking in view the ample use of woollen products and to promote, so that the woollen products can also be locally produced.